Prince William to Attend Earthshot Prize Ceremony in Brazil
The Earthshot Prize, a landmark environmental award founded by Prince William five years ago, is heading to Latin America for the first time as the ceremony takes place in Rio de Janeiro next month. Describing the finalists as “heroes of our time,” the Prince of Wales will oversee the presentation of £1 million in grants to five projects that demonstrate groundbreaking solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
With nearly 2,500 nominees from 72 countries this year, the Earthshot Prize spotlight shines on a diverse slate of finalists. The judging panel includes notable figures such as Cate Blanchett and Queen Rania of Jordan, who sit alongside the Earthshot Prize Council to determine this year’s five winners. The winners will be chosen from a field that ranges from small local initiatives to larger city-scale programs that promise tangible environmental impact.
Global Spread of Finalists, From Islands to Megacities
The global breadth of the competition underscores the prize’s mission to identify scalable, practical solutions that can be replicated elsewhere. For instance, Barbados is nominated for its leadership in climate action, with the Caribbean nation pursuing fossil-free ambitions by 2030. In China, the city of Guangzhou is shortlisted in the “Clean Our Air” category for its electrified public transport system, illustrating how urban mobility shifts can reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in dense metropolitan areas.
Another notable finalist is Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower, cited as part of a push to repurpose aging infrastructure rather than demolish it. The project exemplifies a growing movement to “upcycle” 20th-century towers into functional, lower-emission spaces—an approach that preserves embodied carbon and reduces waste in the built environment.
British Innovation on the Final Line
Among the UK contenders is Matter, a Bristol-based company that has developed a filter to capture microplastics in washing machines. Microplastics are widely acknowledged as a major ocean pollutant, so cutting their release during routine laundry is a simple yet powerful intervention. Matter’s mission aligns with the Earthshot Prize’s emphasis on solutions that are both scalable and implementable in everyday life.
Founder Adam Root has described the potential Earthshot win as transformative: “Winning an Earthshot prize for me would be like winning an Olympic gold medal.” His reflections on the past five years, shared in a recent video message marking the finalists’ announcement, capture the sense of urgency and long-term planning that characterize this decade of environmental action.
A Decade of Momentum and a Global Call to Action
In his message, Prince William acknowledged how perspectives shift with time: what once felt like a distant future, 2030 now appears within reach or within reach of meaningful consequences. The Prince emphasized that the Earthshot Prize is not just about recognizing innovation; it is about mobilizing resources and public momentum to ensure that the world becomes “cleaner, safer and full of opportunity.”
As the Rio ceremony approaches, the Earthshot Prize continues to frame environmental progress as a collaborative, globally inclusive pursuit. The five winners will join a broader community of finalists and alumni whose projects have demonstrated that careful design, practical ingenuity, and cross-sector collaboration can deliver meaningful environmental benefits in diverse contexts.
What the Earthshot Prize Means for the Future
Beyond the £1 million annual prize pool, the Earthshot Prize serves as a platform for elevating solutions that may otherwise struggle to reach scale. The emphasis on real-world impact, coupled with the participation of high-profile figures and international organizations, helps amplify these efforts and attract investment, policy support, and public engagement. For communities facing climate-related challenges—from urban air quality to plastic pollution—Earthshot-winning projects offer a blueprint for action that is both hopeful and practical.
As Prince William travels to Brazil, the ceremony represents more than a ceremonial tribute. It signals a worldwide commitment to recognizing and backing the people and projects that can redefine our relationship with the planet—today and for the generations to come.
